[interview] Hello Sailor Effects: Joseph Halliday

One day I just decided I wanted my own pedals to look great as well as sound great so I decided to design new enclosures for my pedals and it took off from there, I have always been fascinated by the inner workings of pedals.

My main inspiration was Rodger Mayer, he makes some of the best fuzz pedals which are my personal favourite type of effects and he comes from a military background like me.

Where do the name and logo come from?

The name is a reference to my day job, I'm currently serving in the Royal Navy and I build these pedals while away on operations.

The main logos I use are an anchor and a hello sailor pin up, the anchor comes from my rank in the navy and the pin up is a copy of one of my many tattoos.

What sets Hello Sailor Effects apart from other builders?

I do not overcharge for my pedals, I enjoy making them so much I would do it for free if I didn't think the wife would go mad at me.

How do you start on a new pedal?

Usually I build and test the circuit then adjust anything I don't like then I make the enclosure and assemble, for a custom build it usually takes between 4 to 8 weeks from start to finish, depending on the circuit. I like to get as much info off my customers before starting a custom build, for example what guitars and amps they will be using the pedal with etc.

Can you tell us something about the production process?

All pedals are built by myself while away at sea on operations.

All circuits are hand wired one at a time on either vero board or point to point on a turret board depending on the circuit, the enclosures are all finished by hand by myself.

I tend to make one or two pedals at a time and put a lot of effort into making each one individual as possible.

How important is the look of your pedals?

The look is almost as important as the sound to me, I believe people strive for individuality that's why all my pedals look different.

Is parts selection important?

I take a long time matching various NOS transistors when it comes to building fuzz pedals, this can make or break the sound of a fuzz pedal especially.

Which of your pedals makes you most proud?

I am proud of all my pedals as they are all individual in different ways.

Which of your pedals is the most popular?

The Doll Face Fuzz or Double Doll Face Fuzz are my most popular because I make more of them than any other pedal, I get asked about the Echoplex preamp more than any other but I seem to get less orders for these.

Who uses your pedals and for which genres?

Unless making a custom build for someone I tend to build pedals that I would like to own myself.

I made a pedal for Steve Murray of the band Fallen On Faith and he was kind enough to make a YouTube demo of it.